Treatment of expanded metal



April 19, 1938. L. w. Ross 2,114,592

TREATMENT oF EXPANDED METAL Filed July 2s, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN\`IENTOR Pressed Apslaiea'e l 2,114,592

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v l 2,114.5 t I I mATMENT'oF nxPANnnn METAL mund w. ons, wmmaw. vs., .minor to 'llie Consolidated Expanded Metal Companies, glllielinx, W.'Va., corporation .West Virv l Application July 23,1935, serial. Ndca'zol s claims. (ci. 16s-6.6) y 'I'his invention relates broadly to the treatment foi certain purposes for which the flattened exof expanded metal, and more particularly to the panded metal may be intended. For example,

production of flattened expanded metal. It reflattened expanded metal is now coming into wide lates still more particularly to certain discoveries use for shelving; such as refrigerator trays. Ex- 5 in connection with the flattening of expanded panded metal to be used in a refrigerator tray 5 metal which result in linsuring the production of should have both surfaces substantially uniform commercially satisfactory flattened expanded so that it may be assembled to the frame with metal. either side up; it should be substantially per- So-called flattened expanded metal has been fectly flat to permit large and small objects to l0 known for manyv years. See, for example. Clark be slid over its surface without upsetting;y and 10 Patent No. 947,794. However, the art of flattenit should be free from small depressions in its ing expanded metal has never prior to the presfaces which would serve to catch foreign matent invention been developed to the point of inter and render the tray unsanitarysuring the production of a commercial product. I have found that the reduction employed in The so-called flattened expanded'metal heretov flattening expanded metal should be such as to 15 fore produced has not been suitable for uses re.. thin and widen the strands and increase the ratio qulring smooth, truly `flat, finished materialwhere of the width to the thickness of the strands at the expanded metal is exposed to view. In point least about 1A; and preferably. and especially When of fact, it has not been smooth or finished in the original ratio of strandwidth to strand thickaware, only for freinforcing or similar purposes` Expanded metal should be used the initial ratio where a high degree of smoothness and flatness o f the width to the thickness. of whose strands and a finished appearance are not required and is at least 1, and the ratio of the width to the where the expanded metal is not exposed to thickness of the strands of the' flattened product 25 view. Unless the principles herein set forth are should be at least 1.5. When the initial ratio of 25 followed, any attempts at flattening may result the width. to lthe thickness of the strands is in the material tendingA to curl or corkscrew, regreater than 1.25`the increase in such ratio Which quiring further treatment in order to get it com- B CCOmPnieS the insured production 0f a satis- `mercially dat, or a product having unlike faces factory commercial product need .not be as great 30 may'result, which renders it unsatisfactory for as when the initial ratio is somewhat less, but 30 many purpo5es Again, the strands and bonds should in any event be -at least about 1/3. I nd may not beproperly turned down into o, common that by far the best results are obtained by obplane or irregularities may appear on one or both serving the relationships above mentioned while sides ofthe flattened. product such as at the subjecting the expanded metal to cold rolling. a5 bonds or at the junctions of the strands and Other details. objects-and advantag'esof the 35 bondsd. 1 i invention will become apparent as the following .Itis not feasible to produce commercially flagdescription of certain present preferred methods tened expanded metal by the methods heretofore 0f Practicing the Same proceedsutilized for use as exposed lfinished material.. 'So In 'the accompanying drawings I have illusld0 for es I know, flattened expanded metal suitable' trated diagrammatically certain present preferred 4o for suon purposes we; vnever e commercial prodmethods of practicing the 'invention and have uct until my discoveries herein described and Shown Sheets 0f expanded metal before and after. claimed were made. By the une of the prinoiples ttenin's by my process. wherein herein set forth, I have produced .listtenedex- Filme 11H Plan .View of a pieceof commer- 4" panded metal on a commercial scale with-a wast-l muy mfom flattened 'expanded metal; 45

- l Figure 2 is a-vertical transverse. cross-sectional f im :gli rom prispllgmg Whmh an intent? viewtahen on the line'II-Il of Figure l; I hapmvepomfound that n ktm n m Figure 3 is a top plan-view of a piece of excam mm panded metal before flattening;

appearance and it has been used, so far es I am ness is in the neighborhood of 1, at least about 1/2. 2O

so exist between the dimensions o! the strands of zum 4 ,s vertical transverse cmss "andino i the explnded metal and the reduction! employed View men on the une Iv-IV of mgm-e 3 inlellinlifunimrmwmmerdllmw Figure Sis-a diagrammatic view illustrating.' t0 bevprodu 1f wie reltlllllllplm not vthebrushins of the expanded metal; andy followed. at least a substantial Ipartum oi the .llizure is a tlc view illustrating |55product',andponlblyallofit,wlllnuthcunbleA thefilatteninatheroof.

'I'he expanded metal shown in Figures 3 and 4 may be formed ln any Well known manner, as by the deploying or the guillotine method. Such expanded metal comprises bonds 2 and strands 3, the strands being connected at their ends by the bonds. The strands and bonds are inclined to the plane of the sheet, due to the method of formation, as shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 6 the expanded metal is shown as being attened between rolls 4 which are preferably relatively large heavy rolls such as are used for the cold rolling of thin sheet metal. The strands and bonds are turned, down into the plane of the sheet and are reduced in thickness and the strands are widened. The ratio. of the width to the thickness of the strands should be increased during the rolling at least about V3.

When the initial ratio is in the neighborhood of 1,'such ratio should preferably be increased at least about V2. When the initial ratio is greater than about 1.25 increase in the ratio of at least about V3- will insure the production of the desired uniform commercial product. Expanded metal the ratio of the width to the thickness of whose strands is at least 1 is preferred and best results are obtained when itis used. The ratio should be increased to at least 1.5. I

Examples of the carrying out of my process willA show what relationships have been maintained with satisfactory results. Expanded metal having square strands .065"X.065"., and thus having a ratio of strand width to strand thickness of 1, was reduced so that its strand thickness was .049" and its strand width .078", or a ratio of strand width to strand thickness of about 1x6. This represents an increase in the ratio of strand width 'to strand thickness of somewhat more than V2. Expanded metal having an initial strand thickness of .0625. and an initial strand width of .089" or a ratio of strand width to strand thickness of-approximately 1.4 was reduced until the strand thickness became .051" and the strand width'.105 or a ratio of strand Width to strand thickness of 2.1, or an increase of V2. Expanded metal having aninitial strand thickness of .0625" and an initial strand width of .105" or a ratio of 1.7 was attened to a strand thickness of .049" and a strand width of .133" or a ratio of '2.7. Here the increase in ratio was somewhat more than Vr. However, as indicated above, the desired results can be obtained with a somewhat lower increase in the ratio of strand width to strand thickness when the. initial ratio is relatively high and when such ratio is above 1.25 an increase ofabout 1A, is sufcient to obtain the desired results. For example, I have produced satisfactory attened expanded metal by cold rolling metal having strands originally .0625" in thickness and .096" in width and reducing the thickness of the strands to .062" and increasing their Width to .106". The initial width:thickness ratio was approximately 1.5 and the final ratio approximately 2.0 or an increase in the width: thickness ratio of tlg.

cateddiagrammatically in Figure 5., in which revolving wire brushes 5 and guide rolls 6 are shown, which brushing may be carried out as described and claimed in my United States Patent No. 1,950,372. 'I'he brushing is preferably carried out in the direction of the arrow A of Figure 3.

'Ihe flattened expanded metal is shown in Figures land 2, the strands and bonds being reduced in thickness and being of substantially uniform thickness throughout. r'I'he strands are indicated at l and the bonds at 8. The flattened expanded metal produced in accordance with my process has a substantially perfectly smooth uniform surfacewhich is for all practical purposes the same on both sides of the expanded metal and' both surfaces are free from local or extended irregularities such as would prevent the sliding of relatively small objectsl over the expanded metal when used as a tray without tipping of such objects or result in the accumulation of foreign matter at the surface of the tray. When my improved process is used vthe expanded metal issuing from the rolls does not curl or corkscrew but comes out iiat and even.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention and certain present preferred methods of practicing the same, it is to be distinctly understood that the same is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. The method of making flattened expanded metal which comprises first forming a sheet of expanded metal having bonds and strands which are inclined to the plane of the sheet and the strands having a widthtthickness ratio of at least 1, and thereafter cold rolling the sheet so as to turn the bondsandstrands into the plane of the sheet while widening them so as to increase the widthzthicknessratio of the strands at least about V3 and to a widthzthlckness ratio of at least 1.5.

2. 'I'he method of making flattened expanded metal which comprises first forming a sheet of expanded metal having bonds and strands which are inclined to the plane of the sheet and the strands having a width:thicknesslratio between about land 1.25, and thereafter cold rolling the sheet so as to turn the bonds and strands into the plane of the sheet while widening them so as to increase the width:thickness ratio of the strands at least about V2.

3. The method of making flattened expanded metal-whichcomprises first forming a sheet oi expanded metal having bonds and strands which are inclined to the plane of the sheet and the strands having a width:thickness ratio greater than 1.25, and thereafter cold rolling the sheet so as to turn the bonds and strands into the plane Vof the sheet while widening them so as to increase the width:th.ickness ratio of the strands at least about V3. LEONARD W. CROSS. 

